Leica C-Lux 1 review

The C-Lux 1 is only Leica's fifth digital compact but it sports a 6 megapixel sensor and an optical image-stabilised zoom lens.

With a variable focal length of 28-102mm, the Leica-branded lens not only has a greater range than many rivals, but its widest setting is more suitable than most for landscapes and interiors.

Housed in a sturdy metal body, the CLux 1 is neither the smallest nor lightest compact in its class, but it's a great deal smaller than pictures of it suggest and will still easily fit a shirt-pocket. Unfortunately, there's no room for an optical viewfinder.

Previewing images on its brightly-lit 2.5-inch LCD is compelling. Not only is it finely detailed with superb clarity and colour rendition, but it also has good refresh rates and wide viewing angles. A novel option that improved the display's viewing angles when holding the camera up high was appreciated more often than we thought it would be. The rechargeable battery lasted upwards of 250 shots.

Our only grumble was the relative ease with which the monitor's protective screen was affected by reflections, and its raised profile meant it was difficult to keep free of fingerprints. It also dominates the rear. Fortunately, there are few external controls, so the body didn't feel too cramped. Thanks to the simple layout and fast ready to shoot times, one-handed operation is easy, though the discreetly placed control dial can be fiddly at times.

The camera is essentially a point-and-shoot. There's no aperture or shutter-priority modes, nor manual exposure for example, and it packs relatively few processing options. A few colour effects and adjustment of saturation is all that's included; most of the camera's image parameters are controlled automatically using a raft of scene modes.

A standard Auto option gives you the greatest control, but it's far from extensive. Manual selection of sensitivity is possible up to ISO 400, and a scene-mode will take it further, up to ISO 1600 with a loss of resolution. But nothing can hide the fact that its sensor is noisy. In a darkened room, noise is visible at ISO 80 but it's bearable. Like most rivals, though, by ISO 400 noise levels are unforgiving even in a 6 x 4in print.

Distortion and fringing are low and snaps are very sharp even at the edges using the telephoto - evidence of the lens' pedigree and a tribute to the effectiveness of the optical image stabiliser. This is one area where the CLux 1 pulls away from rivals such as Canon's Ixus 65. Widescreen movie clips are impressive too, but with capture of high-quality 30fps at 848 x 480 pixels about 2MB per second you'll need a greater capacity than the 64MB SD card supplied.

Ultimately, with its quality wide-angle zoom and optical image stabilisation, the C-Lux 1 is a fine performer. But were it not based on Panasonic's cheaper Lumix FX01, this Leica would receive five mice. As it stands, the C-Lux 1 isn't as good value as it could have been, nevertheless it remains one of the most desirable pocket cameras we've seen.